NFL

Sports Marketing

Public Relations

TURNING THE NFL DRAFT INTO PRO FOOTBALL’S NEW BIG BRAND EXPERIENCE

The NFL Draft had been an industry gathering in a theater in New York until the league took it on the road in 2017. Landing in Chicago, the first Draft outside of New York in more than 50 years was met by skeptics and with a need to drive awareness and attendance. The result was an aggressive media relations campaign that turned the selection event into an NFL fan spectacle – creating one of the largest fan experiences in professional football.

WE DELIVERED

250 million + earned media impressions

Changed the media conversation to focus on positive economic impact

Contributed to exposure that generated $86 million in direct economic impact

Drove media exposure to attract more than 250,000 people to the event in Grant Park

Their Challenge

In moving the draft to Chicago after 50 years in New York, the NFL was met with skepticism from media and leaders of the Windy City. The NFL turned to KemperLesnik to help change the conversation and build positive stories to bring people into the Draft from drive-in and regional markets.

Our Solution

KemperLesnik devised a multi-tiered public relations campaign to tell the story of the benefits the Draft would bring to the economy of Chicago, while also demonstrating how the fan experiences were unlike anything football fans had seen in a free NFL event.